Letters to the editor, 4/22

Letter-writer's attack on Israel not factual

It's time for the Poughkeepsie Journal to stop giving voice to Gregory DeSylva to repeatedly attack Israel without factual basis. Each time, someone like myself, who has been to the region and knows the facts, must correct the record.

Not everyone who reads DeSylva's letters will see the rebuttal, leaving many with a distorted, and dare I say anti-Semitic, view of Israel.

He says Israel caused the recent peace talks to fail, because it announced 500 new Jewish homes will be built in pre-existing Jewish towns located within the potentially future Palestinian state. It is unimaginable that the U.S., much less Israel, should require any future Palestinian state to be Judenrein. This is a Nazi concept and particularly racist, considering Israel has 1 million Arab residents with all the benefits of citizenship.

Beyond this irrational and anti-Semitic stance by the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinian hatred of Israel is the primary force preventing peace. The PA constitution fails to recognize Israel, PA maps show no Israel, and the PA continues to support terrorists. Stadiums and schools continue to be named after terrorists and Jew-hatred is endemic in PA schools. There is only one party responsible for the failure of peace and it's not democratic Israel. Israel released hundreds of Palestinian terrorists in this latest round of talks, at great risk to its own citizens, in the quest for peace.

Marcy K. Schwartz

Poughkeepsie

Homeowners shouldn't bear brunt of school tax

I just read with some enthusiasm of a bill sponsored by state Sen. Terry Gipson that would change the way the state funds its schools - removing the property tax burden on homeowners and replacing it with a general state tax funded by all taxpayers. That seems to be a common-sense approach to what has become an absurdly punishing tax on homeowners for decades in New York. Why has it taken so long for someone to step up and propose this?

This would certainly stop the exodus of families who want to stay in their homes, and also start re-inflating property values that continue to slide due to these very taxes. While home ownership in New York becomes a real possibility for many due to low interest-rate mortgages, many are turned away due to property taxes that can exceed 2 percent of the home's value yearly, putting their expense ratios out of reach for most lenders.

Anyone who owns a house in this state can attest to the frustration that comes with paying these taxes year after year, even with the new restricted levy increases. And certainly the schools in this state need to be reined in from excessive spending, especially on salaries and benefits that far exceed anything in the private sector.

I encourage any homeowner who feels the way I do to contact their state representatives and push for enactment of this bill. It's long overdue. And thank you Sen. Gipson for stepping up to sponsor it.

Chris Carroll

Pleasant Valley

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Letters to the editor, 4/22

It's time for the Poughkeepsie Journal to stop giving voice to Gregory DeSylva to repeatedly attack Israel without factual basis. Each time, someone like myself, who has been to the region and knows